College of General Studies natural science professor Christopher Collumb said he will soon begin searching for a new teaching position in a tough economic climate, despite spending almost a decade at Boston University.
CGS’ elimination of the first year natural science requirement will end up cutting the natural science department in half, meaning Collumb and several other non-tenured professors must enter the job market again.
Because of local hiring freezes, Collumb said he will be interviewing for positions as far away as Florida
‘I’m going to have to move based on this,’ Collumb said. ‘It’s a very difficult market out there. Basically all my colleagues are going for the same jobs I am.’
The decision to cut part of the department comes on the heels of Brown’s assurance of job safety for its faculty. However, CGS Dean Linda Wells refuted charges that the elimination was due to the budget on Tuesday and discussed the decision with tenured faculty members.
Despite this, Collumb said many in the department are not happy.
‘Definitely, tenured professors are angry about this,’ he said. ‘They were included in a discussion before they realized their opinions were not going to affect the outcome.’
Collumb said he first heard about the decision in October. He said he thinks the changes were in part to improve CGS, but that the cut of the budget that will be freed up by eliminating positions was also a factor.
‘I had been promised previously that longer contracts are coming down the road, which never did happen,’ he said. ‘They say there’s [will be] no layoffs then there shouldn’t be layoffs. There were layoffs because of the budget.’
Tenured social science professor William Tilchin said the discussion extended over several months and ended in a difficult decision.
‘The dean considered a lot of factors and decided it was the best thing,’ Tilchin said. ‘We’re sorry we’re losing some faculty, though.’
Humanities professor Christopher Fahy, who is not tenured, said the decision will likely be a good one for many students because it will give them another elective.
‘ ‘Everyone recognizes that we’re going to miss our colleagues,’ Fahy said. ‘I didn’t see this as a budget thing . . . [but] who knows in terms of future job security.’
Some students said they had heard unfortunate rumors about CGS’ future.
‘Someone told me they’re trying to get rid of CGS,’ intended CAS sophomore Morgan Piskorz said.
Collumb also questioned the ultimate plan for the future of CGS.
‘At some point then, why is CGS necessary if they [the students] are taking forty to fifty percent of their classes at CAS?’ Collumb said.
Although many CGS professors, like Collumb, said they are unsure about the change, along with their own career stability, most CGS students said eliminating the requirement, thus leaving room for another elective outside CGS, will be positive for their overall education.
CGS freshman Amber Graham, who intends to enter the College of Arts and Sciences, said the curriculum change will give most students more options.
‘I think it’s a positive thing depending on what major you want to be,’ Graham said. ‘[But] I know some of my friends who are pre-med would have preferred that they at least have the option.’
CGS freshman Ben Sommer said he would have liked having another elective option, though he recognized that many factors were taken into consideration before the decision was made.
‘I think students will prefer it,’ Sommer said. ‘If they’re cutting down on professors, it’s probably part of the budget next year . . . and also to have more students involved in CGS.’
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